HELEN:
I expect I’ll see Nick at the school gates. I’ll invite him round for dinner.

PAUL:
What for?

HELEN:
He’s your business partner.

PAUL:
Silent partner. It’s his father’s money. My father’s company.

HELEN:
Both your fathers are dead.

PAUL:
Hm.

HELEN:
We never have people over.

PAUL:
Hm.

HELEN:
Nick doesn’t get out much now he’s on his own.

PAUL:
How do you know?

HELEN:
We talk. The school gate.

Pause . PAUL stops what he is doing. Looks up

HELEN:
His kids are in the same year as ours.

PAUL:
So?

HELEN:
Do you even send them a birthday card? He sent one to Sam this year.

PAUL:
Give him a medal.

HELEN:
He’s really much more interesting than you describe him.

PAUL:
I hardly know him.

HELEN:
You hardly know anyone.

SCENE FINISH ON PAUL, CLOSEUP REACTION.

CUT TO:

3. INT ROOM, DAY. ENCLOSED PRIVATE OFFICE .

SLADE:
You haven’t.

PAUL:
I haven’t…?

SLADE:
Thought about it. After.

SCENE FINISH ON PAUL, CLOSEUP REACTION.

CUT TO:

4. INT: PAUL’S WORK OFFICE, PAUL seated, NICK standing.

NICK:
I hope you don’t mind me coming over like this.

PAUL:
I’d rather you hadn’t.

NICK:
I thought we could be a little more… engaged?

PAUL:
You’re the silent partner.

NICK:
It’s my money that lets you do the talking

PAUL:
Your father’s money.

NICK:
Mine now.

PAUL:
So what do you want?

Nick:
I’d like to have some say in hanging onto it.

PAUL:
The company?

NICK:
The family money.

PAUL:
You want control of my company.

NICK:
Our company. Which, by the way, is in the red for the third time.

PAUL:
There’s a recession. –

NICK:
Which is why someone needs to do something.

PAUL:
I am doing something.

NICK:
You’re not changing anything. You never change.

PAUL:
I might surprise you.

NICK:
Helen said you could be difficult .

PAUL:
Helen said?

SCENE FINISH ON PAUL, CLOSEUP REACTION.

CUT TO:

EXT: PAYPHONE.

PAUL (hesitant):

I was told to call this number… if I needed a problem solved. Yes… In cash.
Yes, I have it… A meeting? I didn’t expect a… Yes, of course. Bona fide,
I understand. Yes. Where? Tomorrow? No, I can’t make it then, I’ve got…
No, no! I’ll be there.

SCENE FINISH ON PAUL, CLOSEUP REACTION.

CUT TO:

INT, KITCHEN, PLANE HOUSE

HELEN:
Who’s Mr Slade?

PAUL:What?

HELEN:
In your diary. Mr Slade. Mid-afternoon appointment?

PAUL:
Stationery .

HELEN:
Stationery?

PAUL:
He’s working up some stationery designs. For the company.

HELEN:
Since when did you care about stationery?

SCENE FINISH ON PAUL, CLOSEUP REACTION.

CUT TO :

7. INT ROOM, DAY. ENCLOSED PRIVATE OFFICE .

PAUL:
Oh, my God.

SLADE:
You contacted me. You made this arrangement.

PAUL:
Oh shit. Shit, shit shit…

SLADE:
I hope you’re not considering calling this off?

PAUL:
What have I done…?

PAUL takes out mobile phone, starts dialling. SLADE reaches across gently but firmly takes it from Paul’s fingers, lays it on the table between them. PAUL looks at it like it a venomous serpent.

SLADE:
You haven’t done anything. Yet.

PAUL:
What was I thinking…?

SLADE:
You know, you calling this off would give me something of a problem.

PAUL:
Problem?

SLADE:
You go ahead, you bind us together. You call this off, I have a loose end. I can’t afford loose ends.

PAUL:
Loose end?

SLADE:
So you need to decide.

SCENE FINISH ON PAUL, CLOSEUP REACTION.

END

[This version of Mr Slade is the beginning of a short film script in development]